A TV toy war is on the horizon... as RTE and TV3 go head-to-head in the pre-Christmas ratings battle.

The Late Late Toy Show on the State broadcaster may be a national institution, but its fierce rival hopes to steal its thunder with its own live broadcast on November 21 – a week before Ryan Tubridy’s toyfest.

And it is broadcasting the 90-minute show live from Dublin’s RDS at the “more child-friendly” time of 8pm.

RTE’s crowd-pulling festive show goes out from Montrose on November 28.

A TV 3 spokeswoman said: “The show will feature all the toys you need for Christmas under one roof.”

The station is also giving children the opportunity to audition to be part of the show as toy demonstrators.

They must be aged between five and 12 and details on how they can apply will be announced in the coming days.